May 10, 2006
LAS VEGAS - The NCAA-regulated Spring Evaluation Period for football is in full swing and UNLV coaches will be busy traveling around at least eight states and one U.S. territory this month.
In fact, six assistants will join head coach Mike Sanford at this weekend's large prospect combine in Palo Alto, Calif., while in the coming weeks staffers will attend at least six other such events across the West that highlight high school seniors-to-be.
During this designated non-contact period, Rebel coaches will visit more than 700 high schools and junior colleges in order to evaluate potential recruits' academic and athletic performance on the prep level through watching film and visiting with school representatives.
"Even though recruiting never really ends, May is the big time of year to evaluate talent for the class of 2007," UNLV recruiting coordinator and tackles/tight ends coach Gary Bernardi said. "While our current players are busy taking final exams and their off-season conditioning program, our staff is in the middle of the process that brings the program future Rebels."
In addition to everyone doing some evaluating in Nevada and California at some point, Bernardi says first-year linebackers coach Tony Dews will work the Dallas/Fort Worth area, offensive line coach Keith Uperesa is checking out Hawaii and American Samoa, both Bernardi and defensive coordinator Vic Shealy can be found in Arizona, third-year receivers coach Kris Cinkovich will scour the Northwest and offensive coordinator Noah Brindise will be traversing his home state of Florida.
While the vast majority of talent on the squad continues to be produced in California and Nevada, UNLV football's expanding recruiting base was fully evident in last year's recruiting class. Sanford's second haul consisted of student-athletes whose hometowns are spread among 10 states and one U.S. territory across six time zones: eight from California, four from Hawaii, three from Florida, two apiece from Nevada, American Samoa and Texas, and one each from Arizona, Washington, Utah, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
"We've certainly gone a lot of different places to collect talent," Sanford said. "UNLV is going to continue its commitment to recruit Nevada and California first, but then we are going to get players from places like Hawaii and Arizona and Florida, and now Texas with the addition of TCU to the Mountain West."
